Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva-Chapter 608 - 256 Duel Under the Moon

After their first visit, Hexia and Mel settled down at Tri-Phase Moon Academy temporarily, both to explore the academy and to consider future matters.

Many things are difficult to predict before they are done, and this visit had taught Hexia quite a bit, giving her a sense of preparedness and confidence for the subsequent academy visits.

In the evening, after settling in, Hexia and Mel met up with Ed to have dinner together at a riverside restaurant.

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The restaurant was not large, with only two floors; a few students were seated at tables, some of them even placing books and tools on the table, studying, and tinkering while waiting for their dinner to be prepared.

The lighting in the hall was modeled after medieval copper candle lamps, not very bright; the flickering light only illuminated the food and books on the table, leaving the rest of the room somewhat dim.

A gentle evening breeze blew as the three of them talked about the day's events, listening to the flowing river.

"Xiu Lin personally coming to meet you will definitely spark discussions if word gets out," Ed said, recalling his surprise upon seeing the Great Witch that afternoon.

"Even though she is also a teacher at the academy, she is not like the average teacher; she's one of the most influential people there," Ed mentioned, pointing out the distinction.

"The 'Witch Sect' currently has 17 masters, and Xiu Lin is one of them. Her seniority is high, and some of the older witches in the academy are her disciples," Ed continued.

"Now the 'Witch Sect' also has a university, 'Star Trajectory Secret Technique Academy,' in the Mistletoe Star Domain, which gathers nearly ten of the sect's masters. However, ever since the previous 'Star-Holding Witch' Saketina passed away, there hasn't been a presence of Sequence 8 in the sect, leaving it somewhat lacking in confidence nowadays," Ed explained.

Listening to Ed's account and checking the federal database, Hexia learned that during its heyday, the 'Witch Sect' had three top individuals of Sequence 8. At that time, they led the trend, and countless youths aspired to follow them. However, with the rise of the 'Silver Candle Saintess Faction,' the 'Witch Sect' was significantly impacted.

Unlike the 'Witch Sect,' which admires the multiple Great Witches, the 'Silver Candle Saintess Faction' follows only that princess who represents stars and miracles, the most specialized witch. Some believe that she should not be lumped together with other witches and should instead be placed in a category alongside 'Angels' and 'Sages.'

Compared to the 'Witches,' who follow their personal natures and whims, as the spiritual inheritors of 'The Original Heart,' or the orthodoxy, the 'Silver Candle Saintess Faction' is notably more conservative. The academies under their faction are generally ecclesiastical schools. The current 'Lelysia Academy' has staff from the 'Silver Candle Saintess Faction' who are permanently stationed as teachers.

However, 'Lelysia Academy' does not belong to the 'Silver Candle Saintess Faction' alone, but is established with the joint support of several like-minded ecclesiastical factions, with the 'Silver Candle Saintess Faction' being only one of them.

While chatting with Ed, Tilan gradually understood the current situation at Tri-Phase Moon Academy.

The overall strength of the academy was still acceptable, given the rich foundation left by the 'Witch Sect,' with plenty of secret techniques and skills. But ever since it was defeated by the 'Silver Candle Saintess' in the power struggles of the previous generations, its prominence had slowly declined.

The students and descendants studying under that faction have become fewer and fewer. The lower base resulted in fewer talents, and gradually there were no more dazzling figures. Following this, popularity plummeted further, and the number of young people entering the faction to study continued to decrease, creating a vicious cycle.

Initially, it was just a lack of talent, but as years went by without top-tier individuals to bridge the gap and iterate improvements, the faction's secret techniques were gradually caught up to by newer techniques and theories from more progressive factions, no longer maintaining a clear advantage. This is the current predicament of the 'Witch Sect.'

From being the second-ranked in the Star Domain a century ago, they gradually fell to seventh, eighth, then got left behind by the first tier, and continued to slide down, now hovering around tenth place.

"In last year's winter ranking, Tri-Phase Moon Academy was 11th—so-so, I guess. But it seems like the Great Witches at the academy are quite dissatisfied with this ranking," Ed said, reflecting the sentiment among the students.

Unlike the teachers, many students didn't have high expectations before coming to the academy and were indifferent to the ranking; their focus was more on pursuing individuality. However, for the members within the faction, this performance was somewhat embarrassing.

"Other than the top six prestigious schools, which four academies are in the top ten?" Tilan suddenly thought of this question, as her attention had always been on Edith and Saint Yingo, without considering the second tier of academies.

"Let me think," Mel said, tilting her head and counting on her fingers.

"This year's seventh should be Xiseji Academy, a school that specializes in nurturing business and finance talents, backed by many consortia and large corporations," Mel listed.

"Eighth is Suspended Sword Academy (Four-leaf Crystal branch), a school directly affiliated with the Federal Central Council, mainly oriented towards training government officials, with some graduates also going to work in the Court of Judgment."

"Ranked ninth is Muse Academy, a school for many well-known actors, singers, and stars; many child stars and celebrity children from the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain attend this academy."

"And tenth is Sagebrush Academy (Four-leaf Crystal branch), established by the Physicians and Paramedics Association, with branches throughout the federations' various Star Domains."